


Trust

by notcrindy



Category: Gravity Falls, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, an AU where Taako gets desperate for some help, an AU without easy snapping of fingers or umbrellas fixes, i don't know what the hell this is i just started writing it at like 2 AM, maybe a little too desperate, now officially a real actual fic w chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 07:45:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13313667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notcrindy/pseuds/notcrindy
Summary: "TAAKO, IF YOU REALLY HAVE NOTHING,WHAT'VE YOU GOT TO LOSE?"Bill's always had a Thing for twins.(Gravity Falls crossover. Man, I don't know.)





	1. Prologue

Bill always had a Thing for twins.

There was just something about them that _delighted_ him, after so many dealings with the Pines family. The way they looked alike but went such separate paths; the way they squabbled and fought and got closer than ever, practically attached at the hip. They were a strange breed, different than most humans.

This one wasn’t even human, which was even _more_ interesting, and even more fun to play with. He found him in dreams, which was pretty easy ‘cuz the guy had frequent night terrors, and he could find a way to calm ‘em down. Root through his memories--some of ‘em just _flat out static_ \--and pull out some scenario he’d like, something calming, and he’d sit and talk casually to him.

Couldn’t pull the usual “muse” bullshit with this one, though. He wasn’t trusting enough. He’d started to get suspicious already of Bill’s constant presence in his dreams, though of course, he told _no one_ what was happening like your typical sucker. Bill kept a low profile, announcing himself only when he needed to, and trusting that the time was right.

He thought maybe after Old Man Death went down in a steaming pile of tar goop or whatever it was that his boy toy Tex Mex McGee might cave, but he tested him to be sure. If anything, he was _less_ tolerant of Bill in his dreams now, more volatile, and not at _all_ willing to negotiate.

“Fuck _no,_ ” he raged in his own dreamscape, which back then looked an awful lot like a rave. “I don’t need to become a warlock to a goddamn triangle, _okay?_ I do _not_ need this right now. Taako’s self-sufficient. He’ll figure something out. Without _you,_ without anybody.”

Bill wasn’t happy about it -- and he’d certainly never been so outright _cursed_ and practically _spat_ on by a mark. But he resolved to bide his time within the man’s subconscious, glean what he could from his fractured fabrications and whims, and trust that eventually he’d prod and pry enough to find a weak spot. He’d seen a lot of people in his day; Taako wasn’t unique in being stubborn. The neat thing about people was that _everyone_ had a price and _no one_ could resist him for long, so he could take it.

When it finally happened, it felt like he didn’t even have to try with this one at all. The guy had a twin all along, and Bill wasn’t even surprised, and right as he knew it he knew Taako couldn’t hold out for much longer. He had a flair for the dramatic that maybe his mark could understand as he materialized again at the literal edge and end of reality, eager to make a deal and recognizing that hopeless and desperate look in his eye better’n anything.

“A TWIN, HUH? YEESH -- I KNOW HOW _THAT_ REVEAL GOES. BEEN THROUGH THAT PLOT TWIST A TIME OR TWO. YOU NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT, EMERIL? I’M ALL EARS. WAIT A SECOND -- MAYBE THAT’S _YOU!!_ ” He floated near Taako. “ _WOW,_ THOSE THINGS ARE HUGE. AHAHAHA.”

The elf looked up from his position where he was curled up and hugging his legs, umbrella at his side. “Fuck off,” he growled. “If there’s any time I _don’t_ need your shit, it’s right now. _Trust_ me.”

“TRUST’S A FUNNY THING, EH, TAAKS?” Bill continued, circling the elf, looking nonchalant as his cane materialized and he twirled it in one hand. “YOU THINK YOU KNOW SOMEBODY, AND THEN-- **_BAM!!_ ** ” When he snapped, a loud thunderbolt occurred and he put on his best ooky spooky demonic voice just to watch the elf flinch. “YOU FIND OUT THEY’VE, I DON’T KNOW, BASICALLY _ROBBED_ YOU OF THE MEMORY OF YOUR TWIN SISTER AND ALMOST GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY TO PERSONALLY ENSURE YOUR LONELINESS AND CONFUSION FOR THE REST OF YOUR _LIFE._ TOUGH STUFF, TRUST.”

He was almost there. If he just kept pressing, he’d have him. He could tell by the way Taako’s ears were responding; funny thing about elves, Bill guessed, was that they perked up or drooped down in response to stimuli like an animal. He watched Taako’s ears and eyes, distrustful and wary and angry and -- considering, really thinking about it all, really taking his time to mull it over.

“What the fuck do _you_ know about trust?”

Ah, _there_ it was. His opening.

“I KNOW THERE’S SOMEONE YOU _DO_ TRUST WHO ISN’T DEAD,” he sang. “A RARITY THESE DAYS, I GUESS. CHARMING KID, THAT BOY DETECTIVE, HUH??? BUT NOTHING GOOD EVER COMES FROM KIDS LIKE HIM POKING THEIR LITTLE NUBBY _NOSES_ INTO THINGS THEY SHOULDN’T AND GETTING TOO INVOLVED. WHAT A NERD! REMINDS ME OF SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW, ACTUALLY.”

Taako immediately tensed up, which was enough to make Bill laugh again. “I swear to god, if I _ever_ find out you’ve harmed a _hair_ on Angus’s head, so _help me_ \--”

“TAAKO, TAAKO, TAAKO. I WOULDN’T _DREAM_ OF IT! BOY, YOU’RE PARANOID. I’M HERE TO HELP YOU GET DEAD PEOPLE _BACK,_ NOT MAKE _NEW_ ONES.”

He was still glaring daggers, but something was clicking. “...Wait, you can get her back?”

“THAT’S NOT THE RIGHT QUESTION,” he teased. “GO ON -- ASK AGAIN.”

He was thinking long and hard about it, end of the world on pause. “... _Is_ she dead?”

“SEE? THERE YOU GO. _NOW_ YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH, I _KNEW_ YOU WEREN’T REALLY AN IDIOT. SOON AS I LAID AN _EYE_ ON YOU.”

“And if Lup’s not dead,” he was murmuring, deep in thought, “you could help me figure out where she is?”

“BINGO. WE HAVE A WINNER. READY TO COLLECT YOUR PRIZE?”

Bill was used to the whole thing Taako had going on with him right now, that look like he _knew_ he was being tricked into something but he couldn’t quite think clearly enough to know what it was. He still looked angry as hell about the entire situation, but there was something vulnerable there, a crack in the facade that the demon knew all too well.

“THINK OF IT THIS WAY: YOUR WORLD’S GOING DOWN IN FLAMES. EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER KNOWN IS A LIE. YOU CAN’T TRUST ANY OF THE JOKERS AROUND YOU AS FAR AS YOU CAN THROW ‘EM, AND WE BOTH WATCHED YOUR SKELETON BOYFRIEND DROWN IN A VAT OF AWFULNESS A FEW WEEKS BACK. ORDINARILY, I COULDN’T FAULT YOU FOR BEING HESITANT -- I’D THINK IT’S SMART, EVEN, ESPECIALLY FOR _YOU._ BUT FOR A GUY WHO’S HAD SO MUCH TAKEN FROM HIM, YOU DON’T SEEM ALL THAT DEDICATED TO GETTING ANY OF IT BACK.”

“Fuck _you,_ ” the elf hissed again. “What’s the point? I have nothing. The world’s ending, and _I don’t care._ ”

“THEN LEMME ASK YOU THIS.” Taako groaned. “ONE MORE QUESTION AND I’M OUT OF YOUR PRETTY AND PERFECT HAIR.”

He cast a wary glance at him. “I’m listening,” he agreed, “but after this, you better get the fuck out.”

“FAIR ENOUGH,” the demon agreed. The terms wouldn’t even be relevant in a moment.

“TAAKO, IF YOU REALLY HAVE _NOTHING_ …”

He found the weak point and _stomped_ on it, watching the cracks and breaks in his will and soul form. “WHAT’VE YOU GOT TO LOSE? IT’S NOT LIKE I CAN MAKE ANYTHING ANY _WORSE._ ”

That did it. It took him another moment of pretending he still had his willpower, his pride, his dignity, and whatever else mortals were into these days but that did it, and after a moment of staring almost vacantly into space, he sat up and looked Bill right in the eye.

“What are your terms?”

“NO TERMS, REALLY,” Bill promised, “‘CEPT THAT IF WE’RE GONNA GO ON A TRIP TO FIND YOUR SISTER, I CALL _SHOTGUN!!_ JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME IN THIS CRANIUM AND BODY AND YOU’VE GOT YOURSELF A ONE TRIANGLE SEARCH PARTY. THAT CAT TALKS A BIG GAME, I’LL GIVE HIM THAT, BUT YOU CAN’T _FIND_ A BETTER DEAL THAN THIS.”

“You’re _sure_ you can find her?”

“OF COURSE I’M SURE. WOULDN’T BE SAYING IT IF I DIDN’T KNOW HOW. SO HOW’S ABOUT IT.” He extended his hand, blue flame springing to life in it. “DEAL?”

To Bill’s glee, Taako shook it.

“Okay, yeah, sure, whatever. Deal.”


	2. Chapter 1

Taako was accustomed to all sorts of fucked up stuff happening in his dreams.

It’d been a constant since he was a kid, unfortunately; night terrors plagued him as far back as he could remember. Abuelito would get cross with him for wailing like a banshee in the middle of the night, Lup and Tia Tilla would be so concerned, and he would have no memory of evidently thrashing around in his twin’s arms and howling. Those weren’t even nearly as bad as the nightmares, which he _did_ remember and left him screaming still and trying to claw his way into consciousness with desperation. Couldn’t remember a good sleep he’d gotten in ages, really. Naps were okay, and sometimes the worst that could be said was that he’d levitate in his sleep or some shit, but actual sleep had never been Taako’s friend.

Fortunately, elves had a nifty little backup plan when sleep failed, which was meditation. It wasn’t _easy_ to do, contrary to what he’d insist to everyone who was concerned about the constant bags underneath his eyes (ugh -- how _unattractive_ ), if only ‘cuz an upbringing like his didn’t exactly come with the luxury of being able to sit back and relax. In order to meditate, you had to clear your mind, and Taako insisted his mind was vacant half the time but it didn’t make it _true._ You had to be able to trust that you could achieve perfect Zen or some shit, just long enough to rest up. It was something easy to fake, and he had that down pat, but actually tuning out his surroundings was not his strong suit in the least. But it could work when sleep didn’t, so naturally, when the world’s worst sentient shape decided to start popping up in his subconscious, it was one of the first things he tried.

“HI THERE,” the annoying thing shouted in his brain nonetheless. “SORRY TO TELL YOU THIS, BUT IF YOU WANNA ESCAPE ME, YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO DO A LITTLE BETTER THAN THAT. YOU DON’T THINK PEOPLE HAVE MEDITATED WITH ME BEFORE?”

Okay, well -- well, _fuck._ He had tried to shake the meditation off like that and felt less rested afterward, which he suspected was what he got for trying to cheat a demon. He’d had a lot of time to think about it in private, and that was undeniably what this thing _was,_ right? A demon. The fact that the Universe’s Terriblest Triangle was so goddamn _evasive_ about what he actually was only pointed to it; he’d never said the word “demon” outright, always babbling some sort of junk about how he was here to _help,_ really. He’d laughed when Taako had wondered whether or not this was some fae bullshit, so that was basically the runner-up.

Which, okay, to be real? Fucking sucked a bag of _dicks._ Horrendously malformed, smelly, unwanted, terrible, awful, no good, _very bad_ dicks because this situation had bad taste. He particularly resented it because Taako was, if nothing else, good out here. He’d resisted the Thrall of so many relics. Where dumbasses like Magnus rushed right into whatever, and even easygoing people like _Merle_ weren’t cautious enough not to go plunging their member with reckless abandon into the local plant life, Taako was the only goddamn one in the party with a lick of sense. It was true that he fucked with people an awful lot, ‘cuz that was funny; by this point, he wasn’t really sure if he started out stupid or had always been a little too wise.

But he went out of his way to avoid situations _just like this._

Sorcerers were generally okay in his book. They weren’t as studious or careful about magic as Taako would’ve liked them to be, and he thought it maybe wouldn’t kill them to pick up a spellbook every now and then and rifle through, but it wasn’t exactly _their_ fault that they were like that. He’d had the luxury of choosing what study of magic to pursue and mastering it, grinding a wealth of knowledge down to the basics so he could know what really mattered off the top of his head. He’d felt a calling, a pull to it when he was young and actively decided to pursue it, and apparently, Lup did, too. Sorcerers were just born with this shit or had it thrust upon them and _then_ had to learn to control whatever the fuck fate doled out, which was a life Taako definitely didn’t envy. Yikesaroo.

Warlocks, though? They were another bag _entirely._ Taako didn’t think he was being at all unfair when he cursed every single warlock in existence for fucking around with things they shouldn’t have just to look edgy. They wanted to be cool, they wanted to be _dark,_ they wanted to be _mysterious;_ they wanted _power,_ or _fortune,_ or _fame_ or some lameass thing that Taako had always inherently known he had to fucking _work_ for like a normal person, but they didn’t have the patience to pursue. So they struck a deal with the nearest paranormal bullshit that promised them whatever they wanted, and whatever they actually _got_ as a result of that was their own damn fault. They didn’t have any respect for magic; hell, they barely had any respect for their goddamn _selves._

Taako blatantly had gone his whole life not only avoiding being That Guy but affiliating with that guy in any way. Garfield was fine, and not at all that intimidating once you knew how to manipulate and talk circles around the guy, but that was about it. And that made this entire situation so _fucking unfair_ because that’s what he felt like the second he shook that thing’s hand. The second Bill promised to make good on some deal, he knew what losing Lup had done to him, and he hated every fucking second.

He hadn’t asked for this; he hadn’t, up until this point, bargained with it or sought it out. If he’d had a choice up until this precise moment to allow this thing a space in his head as long as it paid rent or tell it to go fuck itself, “fuck _you,_ floating Pyramid Scheme” won out every time, and yet… ...here he fucking was. The thing had found him anyway, and the really messed up thing was that he couldn’t even remember exactly how or when it happened.

Couldn’t remember a lot these days without a lot of help, it turned out.

Anyway, Taako was used to fucked up dreams. If that was the worst this thing had to dish out and it still wanted to pester him and keep him from a moment’s peace, that was _fine,_ ‘cuz he couldn’t imagine peace being relevant to his life anyway. There was no way he’d ever feel okay again knowing that Lup was out there somewhere without him, that he’d just been able to _forget_ her and have her taken from him just like that. Hell, even if the triangle was lying and he found her _dead_ \--

\--well, she’d be fine. She knew how to take care of herself. He couldn’t go there.

So he shook on it, and he hated it, but he wasn’t afraid.

Until the next thing happened.

Taako was used to nightmares; hell, he’d had to leave his body _voluntarily_ sometimes. Not much could faze him by now.

Except that what came next wasn’t like that. It was like he was suddenly in the backseat of his own brain, on the inside looking out, unable to influence anything. It was like that, and then it was like he was hovering outside of it, but he couldn’t get back in.

 _What the_ fuck, _Bill,_ Taako exclaimed in dismay. _This wasn’t part of the deal! Let me back in my body, you isosceles-flavored Dorito_ dipshit. It wasn’t his best insult, but it was what he had to work with, and he tried to will himself back into his body. At least, even if the world was ending, he looked fresh to death from the outside.

Bill was ignoring him. What a fucker. “HEY, GANG,” he was addressing Taako’s family--Taako’s friends--Taako’s not-entirely-terrible-but-definitely-not-trustworthy acquaintances, a wide grin split across his face. It horrified Taako just _looking_ at it, and there was definitely something decidedly abnormal about his pupils. Hopefully that was enough. “SORRY I PASSED OUT FOR A SECOND THERE.”

Everyone looked _disturbed_ by the change in demeanor, at least.

Lucretia looked _particularly_ horrified, but she _should’ve_ been; Taako felt a rage toward her that was so unflinching it was almost like numbness, and the only thing that separated it from the feeling of nothing was that it was also the feeling of _everything_ robbed from him and then dumped into his lap when it was most devastating, all at once. It was steady in the way that a flatline was steady: unmoving, uncaring, but ultimately real and dead and awful. At the _very_ least, at least she didn’t get the satisfaction of watching him stare at her with all the contempt she deserved. She got to confront the smiling, horrible thing inhabiting his body and he hoped she knew it was all her _fault._

Davenport was still kind of incapacitated, sort of disoriented from being flooded with all this shit, and Taako couldn’t say he blamed the guy too much. He knew now for certain that Cap’n ‘Port would’ve been helpful to have around in this sort of situation, so maybe when he came to his senses he could notice something off and help to kick some ass, but for a moment the guy needed a breather. It was pretty understandable, actually.

Killian and Carey, he could see, were trying to tend to their own. Smart. Don’t stray from that, he advised them silently. Look out for yourselves, and then when one of you inevitably bites the big one, look out for number one only. He knew these were cruel thoughts, made muddy and unclear by grief and loss, but he couldn’t help putting _everyone_ in his own shoes if only for a moment. It didn’t seem worth it to stick together; family was a useless concept. He hoped they could hold on for long enough to appreciate one another.

Barry was helping steady Magnus, which was awfully kind of him considering. He couldn’t bring himself to feel anything bitter whatsoever about Barry anymore, not when he was probably the only one in this entire room who felt the weight of that grief. He didn’t know what there was he could possibly say, though. Not exactly a Hallmark greeting card for that sort of scenario. _Hey -- sorry I had to kill you and then forgot you and treated you like a bad joke for a while there, brother-in-law! We’re probably both not super okay with my sister being vanished, but at least now we can remember her fucking name and face!_ Picture of a pair of pants or something on the front, something that Barry liked. Hm. No, nothing to do there. Besides, the guy was more than just a pair of pants. He chided his own goof for being so damn basic.

Magnus looked like he found the whole thing sus, which Taako liked; Merle was still the first one to speak and approach the thing pretending to be him, though. Good. He knew how to address terrible horrible things and convince them he was five steps away from making friendship bracelets or whatever. Initially, the disembodied elf applauded this decision.

“Hey, uh, Taako, buddy,” Merle started, “this is a _really_ dumb question given all we’ve been through just now, but um. Are you… ...are you okay?”

NO-3113 was preoccupied doing something practical, at least, but that left--

\--oh, fuck.

 _Please, Merle,_ Taako begged silently. _Keep the goddamn thing occupied long enough so that it doesn’t notice--_

_YOU KNOW I CAN HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS, RIGHT?_

Fuck, Taako cursed as loudly as he could without an actual working mouth or volume control. _My bad. Should’ve figured that one out, huh?_

On the outside, the demon was still grinning, something wild and awful and so _genuine_ and out of place that it made everyone uncomfortable to look at him, and on the inside, he laughed such a godawful cackle that Taako nearly felt goose pimples where none should’ve existed. _KINDA SORTA._ “Y’KNOW _WHAT,_ MERLE? I’M ACTUALLY FEELIN’ PRETTY _GOOD_ RIGHT NOW, THANKS FOR ASKING. NO NEED TO WORRY ‘BOUT _ME,_ NO SIR.”

It looked like Mags might be the first one to speak up, and that would’ve made sense. He was definitely someone who knew what this shit was like firsthand, and if anyone was going to know that the real Taako wasn’t home right now, it was going to be someone who’d just gone through something like that shit himself. Even Merle was narrowing his eyes suspiciously, and truthfully the wizard would’ve been fine with _anyone_ at this point, but his worst nightmare was realized instead.

“You’re not Taako,” Angus said with all the stupid undeniable certainty in the world, “ _are_ you?”

 _Shitshitshitshitshitshit_ **_fuck,_ ** Taako screamed internally.

As the demon laughed with his tongue, no one heard him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, i guess this is a Thing now!! :'D HOORAY. truth be known, this chapter was going to be a smidge longer, but i've been running on not a lot of sleep lately at all and have some busy Life Stuff coming up, so i thought i'd just post this while i could. i'll be back with more soon! <3 thanks for being so supportive of even my most terrible ideas. love you all.

**Author's Note:**

> man, i... i don't know. there it is, though. LMFAO. LOVE YOU ALL.


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